Do journalists have an ethical obligation to moderate online conversations generated by their stories?

Do journalists have an ethical obligation to moderate online conversations generated by their stories?

There is no magic formula for ensuring a civil exchange of relevant ideas and opinions. Setting the ground rules, monitoring the conversation and being engaged in it can go long way to achieving that goal, says a report by the Canadian Association of Journalists’ ethics advisory committee.

By Ellen van Wageningen

Readers say the darnedest things in online comments and not all of them are appropriate. Most journalists agree that an online conversation attached to a news or feature story is not the place for name calling, malicious comments, bullying and unrelated rants. However, in the 24-hour, widely accessible online world, there is no magic formula for ensuring a civil exchange of relevant ideas and opinions. Setting the ground rules, monitoring the conversation and being engaged in it can go long way to achieving that goal, says a report by the Canadian Association of Journalists’ ethics advisory committee.

J-Source and ProjetJ are publications of the Canadian Journalism Project, a venture among post-secondary journalism schools and programs across Canada, led by Ryerson University, Université Laval and Carleton University and supported by a group of donors.